People in image:
- Top row L – R: Mahmoda Ali, Enterprise Team Manger; Mark Corderoy, Enterprise and Incubation Manager; Leanne Newton, Enterprise and Incubation Mangager; Nick Powell, Enterprise Programmes Manager.
- Bottom row L – R: Daniel Nyambutora, Student Enterprise Co-ordinator; Nhi Ho, Student Enterprise Co-ordinator; Jo Portis, Enterprise and Incubation Co-ordinator
Guest blog post: Mahmoda Ali, Enterprise Team Manager
Over the past year, I’ve spent a lot of time talking to founders, students, academics, colleagues and partners about entrepreneurship at UWE Bristol and across the West of England.
One thing has come through strongly: there is no shortage of ideas or ambition here.
What often makes the difference is what surrounds those ideas- the people you meet, the expertise you can access, the confidence to take the next step and, sometimes, simply knowing where to start.
That thinking has shaped something we’re really excited to launch this September: the UWE Bristol Enterprise Engine.
The Enterprise Engine brings together our support for students, graduates, staff, researchers and regional founders. However, it’s more than putting existing activity under one roof. Instead of a single programme with a fixed starting point, we’re creating different ways into enterprise depending on where you are and what you need. Whether you’re exploring entrepreneurship for the first time, developing an idea, commercialising research or already building a venture, the aim is to help you find the right support, connections and next step, and stay connected to the wider ecosystem as you progress.
But for me, the most exciting part isn’t simply bringing our support together.
It’s what we can build around it.
The West of England is full of entrepreneurial talent, research, creativity and innovation. UWE is part of that ecosystem, and we want to play an even bigger role in connecting its different parts.
That means opening up more opportunities for people inside and outside the University to meet, share expertise, test ideas and build relationships. It means helping promising ideas find their next connection. And it means creating an enterprise community that people want to stay part of as they progress.
Because the best ecosystems keep giving back.
Students become founders. Researchers turn ideas into ventures. Founders become mentors, advisers and investors. Experience and connections flow back to the people just starting out.
That’s the kind of community we want the Enterprise Engine to help grow.
And this is just the beginning.
Over the coming months, we’ll be opening up new ways to get involved through our events, programmes and growing community.
Whether you have an idea, experience to share, connections to make or are simply curious about what’s happening, we’d love you to be part of it.
We will share more details in time, but get in touch to find out more: Enterprise@uwe.ac.uk